


Day 145

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [145]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [145]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257





	Day 145

Hawke was sitting in his library reading over Anders’s Manifesto. Anders had asked Hawke to go over and proofread his latest copy, a task that had become much larger than Hawke had anticipated. The manifesto was supposed to be a list of arguments for mage freedom but more often than not it was a meandering stream of consciousness rant about the evils of the Chantry. That would have been bad enough but sometimes it seemed like Justice would take over and then there would be two streamers of consciousness going in different directions simultaneously. 

Hawke was doing his best to separate the ideas and move them into distinct chapters and to tone down the anti Chantry slant. If they were going to win more rights from mages they would need at least partial Chantry support.

He was not expecting any visitors that day and was taken completely off guard when Bohdan annonces that someone was at the door.

“It’s that elf Tomwise messer,” the dwarf said. In all the years Hawke had known the poisoner, Tomwise had never come to his home in person. Not even when he had been living in lowtown; he always sent porters if Hawke had orders. He remembered saying that clients got nervous when a poison-maker came to visit. Hawke had no idea what would make the man change his habits now. He set the Mannifesto down and told Bodahn to let the elf in.

Tomwise had a scroll with him, it looked official, but Hawke could not see any seal of office on it. Tomwise stood next to a chair fidgeting and looking everywhere but at Hawke.

“Please sit,” Hawke said, intimidating the chair. The eld sat down immediately but hesitated to hand over the scroll.

“What do you have there,” Hawke pressed. He was used to intimidating people by reputation but the people who knew him best were usually more relaxed… unless they were about to betray him. 

“It’s… well before I give this to you I should ask if you are using any other poisoner’s for your needs.” The question took Hawke so much by surprise that he didn’t answer right away. Tomwise misread his silence and launched into a babbling apology. “I didn’t mean to offend, I know this business is best kept private and there are no hard feelings if you are I just need to know for bookkeeping reasons really it's no bother one way or the other.”

“Calm down Tomwise,” Hawke said. “I’m not seeing anyone else.” Hawke decided to rephrase his answer. “I’m not buying poisons from anyone but you.”

“Messer Hawke I tried to stop him,” Bohdan cried out. Hawke turned and Tomwise jumped clean out of his chair, dropping the scroll in the floor. Knight Captain Cullen was walking into the room with a very distraught Bodhan following behind him.

“What’s this about poisons?” he asked, crossing his arms disapprovingly.

“No laws against selling poisons,” Tomwise said. Though he was speaking as though he had reversed his words a thousand times, there was just a hint of panic in his voice. “Rats and such are an awful problem you know and even the guards use toxins to help subdue criminals at times.”

“What is this,” Cullen asked, collecting the scroll from the ground. He looked it over “An exclusivity contract,” he read. “Paired with a discount on all future poisons.” He turned to Hawke “Do you find yourself purchasing lots of poisons, Champion?”

“Yes,” Hawke admitted. “Well, mostly grenades but sometimes poisons too, yes.” Hawke paused and looked over at Tomwise. “Wait, did you come all the way over here to try to make me sign an exclusivity contact with you?”

Hawke and Cullen both looked at Tomwise who looked at his feet.

“Yes,” said the elf.

“I don’t even know any other poisoners in the city,” Hawk said. Cullen gave him a sceptical look. “It’s true.”

“There is a new poisoner in the city,” Tomwise explained. “She is locking all my clients into exclusivity contracts with her.”

“A new poisoner?” Cullen asked. “What do you know of her?”

“She’s from the Carta,” Tomwise said quickally. “She started selling poison a few weeks ago and-”

“The Knight Commander survived a poisoning attempt recently,” Cullen explained. “Do either of you know anything about that?”

“No,” Hawk said

“What poison did they use,” Tomwise said at the same time.

“We don’t know,” Cullen admitted. “I had not considered the Carta before. It fits with their methods and we do run into them quite a lot while we are hunting apostates.”

“Well, there you have it,” Tomwise said. “The Knight Commander gets poisonous right when a new Carta poisoner appears on the scene? That can’t be a coincidence.”

“It very well could,” Cullen said. “But I will look into it. But first, I would like to ask the Champion some questions.”

“Well… If no one need me anymore,” Tomwise began and Hawke waved him off. The elf shot out of the room faster than Hawke would have thought possible.

“I don’t know what answord I can give you,” Hawke said. “My opinion of the Knight Commander is hardly a secret but I would certainly not move against her while the city is still recovering from a crisis.”

Cullen glances towards the copy of Anders’s Manifesto that Hawke had been proofing earlier. 

“What is that?” asked the templar.

“You know what?” Hawk said, jumping to his feet. “Why don’t I help you investigate the Carta. I know Darktown better than you do after all. If you have any questions for me you can ask them on the way to Darktown.”


End file.
